Avery Review #20 - Ale to the Chief, a Presidential Pale Ale

Posted by: Tyler Rippeteau

Nov. 11, 2012

“Not an “Imperial” pale ale, this is a democracy. It’s Presidential! Take the all-American pale ale, a bipartisan blend of malt and hops, increase both to Avery Brewing standards, and then, of course, dry hop the result with that most quintessential of American hops, Cascades, and you get this…a brew worthy of the Oval Office!”

That is the fitting description from the brewery for our last beer of The Avery Project, the brewery's tribute to the commander-in-chief, Avery Ale to the Chief.

A year and two months ago, almost to the day, I predicted that this project would be finished “In a couple months”.  OK, so I was a year off, no big deal.  Besides, the timing on this, the 20^th installation of The Avery Project, is just right.  We saved one of the best for last and we saved it for Election Day...or at least we saved for sometime during the week of the Election.

Avery’s once-every-four-years brew; Ale to the Chief, will wrap up our second project here.  I’ll get into a summary of the whole project and some statistics in a future post, but each and every one of the beers on this list deserves our full attention, so let’s get back into the beer.

Just like the very first Avery Review here (at least for this project) the Ale to the Chief was reviewed live and in person at the Avery Taproom just days before the Election.  I think it was a particularly great choice to finish up the project on because it is such a strong example of what Avery, as a brewery, is capable of.

The stats:

Location: Avery Tasting Room, Boulder, Colorado

Cost: $3/10 oz. pour

ABV: 8.5%

IBUs: 65

Brewery Location: Boulder, Colorado

Style: Presidential Pale Ale (Or DIPA according to Beer Advocate)

Average Beer Advocate Rating: A-/4.06 – Excellent

My Beer Advocate Rating: A/4.43 - Exceptional

Current Number of Reviews: 376

Brewery Description: Avery Ale to the Chief

Tapped On: Oct. 2012

APPEARANCE:  (4 out of 5) The colors of this beer are absolutely gorgeous.  The beer itself is a darker golden color with a stark-white head topping it off.  For a couple minutes the head stays still and then slowly begins to fade away.  A few streams of bubbles slowly rise up from the bottom through an almost completely translucent liquid, but this is not quite as lively as some other Avery beers I have seen.  The lacing is also not as strong as I have seen with a nice lace pattern sticking to the upper half of the glass, but almost nothing on the lower part.

SMELL:  (4.5 out of 5) The smells are almost as pretty as the color.  Your nose will be greeted to a big burst of pine and bright citrus aromas as soon as you stick it in your glass.  A second dip of the nose will reveal some more subdued and sweet malty caramel aromas as well.  As the Beastie Boys once said, this beer is “crazy sniffable”.

TASTE:  (4.5 out of 5) The caramel is not so subdued once it reaches your palate; it pairs with a big helping of pine to create the backbone of the flavor profile for the Ale to the Chief.  Just the right touch of grapefruit comes through along with hints of lemon, orange and a very faint bit of anise towards the end.  All of the citrus and anise, as well as a bit of earthy hoppiness, help to give this beer a nearly perfect balance.

MOUTHFEEL:  (4 out of 5) A light carbonation is present, but this beer is creamy and smooth.  In fact, silky is an excellent adjective in this case.  It goes down very easy.  As I mentioned above this is a very well balanced beer, although it leans towards the sweeter side, particularly up front.  The back end provides a dryer bitterness that becomes more obvious as the beer warms.

OVERALL:  (4.5 out of 5) As I have learned throughout the course of this project and from living in Boulder for the past year and a half, Avery takes a lot of chances with their beer.  They are willing to test the limits of a style or even attempt a style that doesn’t exist.  The Ale to the Chief, however, is an example of Avery’s ability to simply execute very well.  In today’s beer universe, chock-full of Double IPAs and big, hoppy beers, this is nothing that will boggle the seasoned beer drinker’s mind.  Rather, it is something that will simply allow that beer drinker to savor and appreciate a very finely crafted, big, hoppy and delicious beer.

Avery Review #19 - The Beast Grand Cru

Posted by: Tyler Rippeteau

Nov. 5, 2012

Election Night Eve and we are down to our second to last beer of The Avery Project – The Beast Grand Cru.  The Beast, as the name would suggest, is a big, huge, frightening, yet surprisingly tasty monster.  

While I have a bottle of this sitting in my cellar for a future date that (most likely sometime around the next Presidential Election when its Chris Christie versus Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer - just trust me on this one) I also realized that we have nearly completed this project and not yet reviewed a beer from Avery's "Demons of Ale" series.  I was a little ashamed when I realized this, also a little sad since Mephistopheles is one of my all time favorites and I failed to squeeze it in.  On the other hand, I knew, when I began this project that I would be certain to miss out on at least one or two Avery brews that deserved recognition.  I can live without doing the Mephistopheles, but at least one of the three "Demons" had to be represented and this was the one I had access to.  All three, however (Samael's is the third), are wonderful beers.

Location: Harvest Wine & Spirits, Boulder, CO

Cost: $8.99/12oz. bottle

ABV: 16.83%

IBUs: 63

Brewery Location: Boulder, Colorado

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Average Beer Advocate Rating: B+/3.78 – Very Good

My Beer Advocate Rating: B+/3.93 – Very Good

Current Number of Reviews on Beer Advocate: 519

Brewery Description: Avery The Beast Grand Cru

Bottled: July 2012 – Batch #10

APPEARANCE:  (3.5 out of 5) The beer pours much lighter than I remember it from the taproom and unlike the tap pours, out of the bottle, this one has a little bit of head.  That head hangs in there, at about a quarter-inch for a minute or two.  The beer is a lighter burgundy color and thousands of bubbles can be seen darting up the sides and the middle of the glass.  It is very clear and without any haze.  The lacing sticks around for one sip at a time, but this beer is just too heavy to sustain it.  It just slowly slides down under its own weight and never stays long enough to stick.

SMELL:  (4.5 out of 5) There is an impressive amount of malt in this beer to be sure, and every ounce of it is present in the nose.  This smells like a Dogfish Head beer to me, a lot of raisins and a nice, solid, boozy heat wafting up from the glass.  There is a lot more going on here though, and after three or four sniffs I am getting some molasses.  This sounds bad, but there is a hint of gasoline in there as well, but it is very faint and does not actually detract from the smell, just seems to supplement the booze.  Very complex aroma. 

TASTE:  (4 out of 5) The Beast really is a unique beer and while I have tasted it many times I don’t think it has ever been my first beer of the night, nor have I sat down with no distractions and paid my full attention to it.  Big, sweet candied orange peels are hitting me the hardest here.  The raisins from the nose along with some cherries and other dark fruits are swirling around those oranges in what is an increasingly complex beer with every sip.  Caramel and vanilla are both here.  Grapes?  Yes, I think that is a hint of grape I taste.  I feel like I am just throwing flavors out there, but there is a ton going on.  A little oak shows up for the finish right next to a small hop kick.  The aftertaste is most definitely hoppy, a little piney and resinous.  While the alcohol is certainly noticeable, it is not nearly as strong as it could be. 

MOUTHFEEL:  (2.5 out of 5) Saying this beer is full-bodied might be the biggest understatement I have ever made here at 20 Beers in 20 Nights.  This is huge!  The booze gives it some heat and this thing is sweet.  This finish dries up a touch, but the sweetness lingers until the next sip with a bit of a mouthcoating sugariness.  This is one of the few issues I have with this beer.  It is a little too much in the sugar department.  That, and after 8oz. I am feeling fairly tipsy.  Two of these and I would be outright drunk.

OVERALL:  (4 out of 5) One of my personal goals for this project was to intimately get to know many of the Avery beers that I take for granted.  Those world-class brews that I can bike down the street to get pretty much anytime I want.  This review and the last one in particular have helped me achieve that goal.  I have sipped on this beer over a dozen times at the brewery.  It is always enjoyable, particularly because I am drinking with great company and probably in the midst of some great conversation as well, but in those cases The Beast is a supplement to the atmosphere.  And to be fair, those conversations and company over the past year and a half have probably become a part of what I am experiencing every time I stick my nose in this glass or take a sip. 

Despite the number of times I have sampled this outstanding effort from Avery, tonight is the first time I have ever had more than 4 oz. at once.  I am slowly working my way through the full 12 oz. in this bottle simply so I can get the full experience…and it is good. 

Is this the best Avery beer I have had?  Not at all.  But for hundreds and hundreds of other breweries in this country it would be their best effort.  It just so happens that Avery probably has 10 – 15 more beers that beat this.  They are a world class organization and, in my opinion one of the more underrated of the top tier breweries.  There is a reason that Vinnie from Russian River has chosen to make his only two big collaboration beers with Sierra Nevada and Avery.  That’s because he knows neither brewery will release a beer unless it is just right.

Ultimately, Avery Brewing Company makes a lot of beers with a lot of hops and they make them very well.  This is a beer that showcases just what Avery can do with malt, but of course, in true Avery fashion, even their malt masterpiece still has 63 IBUs.  

Avery Review #18 - The Reverend

Posted by: Tyler Rippeteau

Oct. 31, 2012

Well, we’re cranking through these last few beers of The Avery Project.  #16 and #17 were ticked off over the past couple of days, making #18, Avery’s The Reverend, our third beer review in three days.  This was more like the pace I imagined when I first began this project…over a year ago, but what are you gonna do?

As the second beer in the “Holy Trinity of Ales Series”, this is one of the three Avery bombers that you can be sure to find year-round at any liquor store that carries Avery products.  It is also almost always available in the Taproom, so The Reverend is another Avery beer that I am fairly familiar with already and a lot of you Avery fans out there probably are as well.  Until now, however, I have never given it the proper attention it deserves for a full review.  I know I have always enjoyed it, so I am anticipating some solid numbers here, but let’s see what I find:

Location: Ace Wine & Spirits, Boulder, CO

Cost: $7.99/22 oz. bomber

ABV: 10%

IBUs: 24

Brewery Location: Boulder, Colorado

Style: Belgian-Style Quadrupel Ale

Average Beer Advocate Rating: B+/3.82 – Very Good

My Beer Advocate Rating: A-/4.13 – Excellent

Current Number of Reviews on Beer Advocate: 738

Brewery Description: Avery The Reverend

Bottled: NA

APPEARANCE:  (4.5 out of 5) Nice, Barleywine-like mahogany in color, the Reverend appears to be every bit as strong as the 10% ABV and its categorization as a Belgian Quad would suggest.  The head is off-white, a solid half-inch and stuck around for a good two minutes or so after the pour, settling into a patchwork cap of different sized bubbles resembling a topographical map.  A nice lacing developed when the head dropped and it stayed intact throughout the glass.

SMELL:  (3.5 out of 5) The Reverend has the aroma of richness.  Banana and clove are strong up front with caramel, brown sugar and dark fruits rounding out the smell and providing that richness.  If the aroma were stronger this would get a higher rating.

TASTE:  (4 out of 5) The big caramel and molasses flavors build throughout the sip.  They start out strong and just keep getting stronger.  Booziness is present, but the sweet flavors make it dangerously easy to deal with.  As the beer warms brown sugar, banana and clove present themselves while bready flavors and a touch of roasted malt tie everything together.  Finally, for a purely Sterling hopped brew, The Rev has a decently bitter and hoppy finish.  The only real difference between this and a Barleywine is that there is a little more spice characteristic, some earthy funkiness and less hop character.

MOUTHFEEL:  (5 out of 5) The medium to big body pairs well with the medium carbonation here giving this beer a…well…for lack of a better word…a gulpable feel.  Not that I endorse that, but it really goes down quite easily and it is the kind of thing you want to take big sips of.  It’s like a good dessert that isn’t super sweet, but just sweet enough that it makes it tough to stop eating.  This is the beer equivalent of that; smooth and exceptionally easy to put down.

I have to say, I never noticed this about The Reverend, but then again, this is the first time I have taken the time to focus on it.  While I cannot quite give it 5s in other categories, there is no doubt that it gets a 5 in the mouthfeel department.  This struck me as odd at first, but after checking out some other reviews it is clear that I’m not the only one who feels this way. 

OVERALL:  (4.5 out of 5) I am really happy that I took the time to review this beer.  I typically only drink it when I am in the taproom and I want to introduce a visiting friend to some of Avery’s lineup.  I’ll almost always get a taster of The Rev to share because so many people have such a good reaction to it, but I rarely take the time to appreciate it myself.  That will most certainly change on my next trip.

Avery Review #17 - Salvation

Posted by: Tyler Rippeteau

Oct. 30, 2012

Salvation – An appropriate word and beer to rinse away my memories of our last review here at 20 Beers in 20 Nights.  Avery’s Salvation is also a beer with a great story.  It essentially became the mother who gave birth to Avery and Russian River’s “Collaboration Not Litigation”.  For those too lazy to click the link, the short story is that after Adam Avery and Vinnie Cilurzo (of Russian River fame) became friends they realized that both of them had a beer called Salvation in their line-up.  Rather than fight about it or choose who removed the name from their portfolio of beers, the two decided to simply brew a beer together which contained elements of both and to both retain their respective Salvations. 

As we approach the end of The Avery Project, this was a beer I had to get into The Project.  Sure, it was great to taste and review some of the rare Avery offerings, but any serious look at this brewery as a whole would be incomplete without this Boulder staple.    

Location: Ace Wine & Spirits, Boulder, CO

Cost: $7.99/22 oz. bomber

ABV: 9%

IBUs: 33

Brewery Location: Boulder, Colorado

Style: Belgian-Style Strong Pale Ale

Average Beer Advocate Rating: B+/3.82 – Very Good

My Beer Advocate Rating: B+/3.98 – Very Good

Current Number of Reviews on Beer Advocate: 482

Brewery Description: Avery Salvation

Bottled: NA

APPEARANCE:  (4.5 out of 5) Beautiful, brilliant and light golden in color, this beer is a looker.  The rich head rests gently on top and reaches about a half-inch before receding.  The head is gorgeous, but retention could be better.  The lacing is not bad at first, but it isn’t strong enough to hang on throughout the whole glass. 

SMELL:  (4 out of 5) Lemon zest, spice, other citrus (grapefruit) and that touch of funk immediately identify the Belgian yeast and noble-like, aromatic hops in this one.  Nothing out of this world or completely unique here, but this is simply a pleasant smelling beer.

TASTE:  (4 out of 5) Citrus and tropical fruits (banana in particular) lead the way here, but those fruit flavors are all complimented with some nice spice.  A little clove, maybe a touch of cinnamon and a tiny dose of brown sugar.  It oddly has many of the same flavors as a good Barleywine, but this is obviously much lighter in body and far less hoppy.  Although, the noble-like hops flavors do come through here, it is not lacking in the hop department.

MOTHFEEL:  (3.5 out of 5) As I mentioned above, the Salvation is fairly light bodied.  It is on the dryer side, but has a slightly sugary and sweet finish.  Carbonation is light and tickling, providing a crisp and clean mouthfeel.

OVERALL:  (4 out of 5) This, the third beer in Avery’s Holy Trinity Series (along with Hog Heaven and The Reverend).  While it is not as complex as some other Belgian-Style Pale Ales (to be fair Avery calls it a Belgian-Style Golden) it is nicely balanced, easy drinking, refreshing, crisp, clean and a nearly perfect beer to use to win over a Coors Light drinker.  If they’re open-minded enough to at least try this beer it will not offend them, but should pleasantly surprise them with a ton more flavor and certainly with a bigger, better buzz if they drink enough.